Time of a Hero
by Matetroz
Summary: Instead of telling about Link or Zelda, this tells the story of regular Hylians and their accomplishments while the heros are away.


David Jones

Ms. Nagel

3rd Hour

5/15/07

Time of a Hero

Chapter 1:

The Sheikah

Wil walked silently through the forest, tracking an elusive wild pig. It was rare that anyone saw a wild animal this close to town. He had gotten lucky, and he wasn't about to let this one get away.

He could see the nearly full-grown pig thirty feet in front of him. He knocked an arrow onto his precious redwood bow. He closed his right eye and aimed. After a few seconds, he decided he should get closer, hoping for a better shot. He moved from tree to tree, closing the distance little by little. He did not want to scare the pig away; it would be hard to catch. It was time to concentrate.

Wil Arturo does not have a violent nature, but when he's concentrating, he's different:

You walk as silently as possible through the forest trying to find some good meat to add to your dinner tonight. The brown and yellow leaves on the ground almost match your dirty blonde hair. The bow is in your right hand with an arrow on the string, and your father_'_s sword hangs at your right hip. Your left arm is out beside you, keeping your balance like a cat_'_s tail, and acting as an antenna as you touch a tree that passes by you. You move so quietly and expertly through the leaf_-_covered ground, it_'_s as if you_'_re standing still and the forest is passing around you. Most of the trees are a mere third of your width, but three times your near six foot height. And much older than just seventeen years, which is very small amount of time, especially for Hylians.

You come to a large tree and hide behind it to see the fresh, healthy meat. All the squirrels and birds fade out of thought and existence, for only one thing matters feeding the waiting family. The only family left.

Hunting and training are your greatest distractions. But at night, you still hear the screams, still see the blood. Still feel the fear that makes you want to rip out all your insides; still think the thoughts that scar your mind. However, not while hunting. Not while focusing on the aim and the conditions. You forget about the past when you remember the future. The whisper of the future is always more welcoming than the scream of the past. Distractions are your best friend. The past rubs salt in too many wounds. Memory is a painful weapon.

By now, the pig was about fifteen feet away: hopefully close enough for Wil to hit with an arrow. He raised his bow again and pulled the arrow back. He stared down the arrow shaft, aiming at the pig's neck. The conditions were perfect: no wind to alter the arrow's path; the sun was blocked from view, thanks to the trees; and the pig was comfortably sniffing something on the ground.

Finally, Wil was ready to let the arrow slice through the open area and kill his future dinner. He let go of the string and heard the arrow pierced the air. But, as he let the arrow go, there was a rustling in the leaves somewhere to the right, which made the pig turn its head. The arrow impacted the ground near the pig, and the swine ran off, having too many things scaring it at once.

Just his luck. The lean-bodied boy sighed at the failure and trotted over to where the arrow had struck the ground. He pulled it out of the dirt and studied it. It was fashioned out of redwood, like his bow. Both of which had he made: a craft he learned from his father. The arrow looked sturdy and still usable. He could see no fractures in the shaft; the head was still sharp, and the feathers were not damaged. He put the arrow back into the quiver he carried on his back. At least the arrow was undamaged.

He turned his head to face the disturbance that had startled the pig. He was shocked to see that a person was there with their hand against a tree, their head down, and their long hair covering up their face. He had been too distracted by the pig to notice the disturbance earlier. Wil stood up and stared at the person. He brushed his long bangs out of his eyes, and he slowly walked toward the disturbance. When he got closer, the person looked up, and Wil was surprised to see that it was a girl, and a very pretty girl at that. She was a few inches shorter than Wil, perhaps four or five. She looked and dressed strangely. Her hair was a dark indigo that fell to her waist in a disheveled heap. All her clothes were a dark blue, even her boots. They were all dirty, too. But it was her eyes that grabbed Wil's attention. They were a smooth, dark crimson. Though strange, they seemed to somehow fit the rest of her features. And they were stunning.

The girl widened her stance as she pulled out a knife from the small of her back. "Stay back!" she warned, holding the knife out in front of her.

"Who are you?" Wil asked as he was studying her.

"I said, stay back!"

Wil kept moving toward her. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"I don't want to have to kill you," she said, sounding weaker with every word.

"I don't want you to, either," Wil stated matter-of-factly.

"Then don't come any closer," the girl replied, ignoring Wil's mild humor.

Wil stayed where he was. He was close enough now to notice that she was clutching her right side, and that her tunic was a darker color in that area.

"You're hurt!" he said and started moving closer again.

She looked down at her wound. It was bleeding profusely from whatever had injured her. She stared back up into Wil's blue eyes. Wil was about five feet away now, which he decided was close enough, and stopped moving toward her. She appeared exhausted, but still able to swing her knife if need be. He could see that her eyes were half-closed now, and she was wavering. She did not look like she was in a good condition.

"Stay back," she said again, with the words barely leaving her mouth.

Before Wil could let out a word of protest, the girl's knees buckled under her, and she fell to the ground, but she managed to catch herself before the rest of her body collapsed. He ran to her and lightly put his left hand on her back and his right hand on her arm. She swiped her dagger at him, and he backed away. "I said stay—" but she was never able to finish; she had drained the last of her energy and collapsed.

Wil was not sure what to do. She was breathing, and he guessed it didn't sound too bad. This was not exactly his field of expertise.

He decided to take her back to his house. Wil put his bow in its place by the quiver over his shoulder and picked up the girl so he was carrying her like a baby. He rested her head on his shoulder and started walking back to his house. His grandma would know better about what to do with the strange girl.

She woke up groggy in a comfortable feather bed. She tried to open her eyes, but could not keep them open. After a few more attempts, she managed to open them and look around the mysterious room she was in. It was a somewhat small room, with furnishings to manage the slight chaos. On what appeared to be an oak desk were many arrows. Some of them were red; others matched the color of the desk. Leaning against the wall were a few different-sized bows, all with the same grips.

The armoire was closed, but she assumed the room belonged to a male, anyway. Against the wall was a work bench filled with tools that a craftsman might use to make bows. Next to that, on the floor, she saw a chest; it had gold on the edges and a very sturdy-looking lock. She sat up so she could get a better look at the chest, but pain shot up her side and struck her hard. She collapsed back onto the pillows.

She groaned. Just how did she end up here like this? She could only wonder. She tried to remember what had happened before she passed out. There was a boy with a bow. But when she had glanced in his eyes, he seemed kind and concerned. He did not seem like he wanted to hurt her. And it appeared she was right, if she was still alive. Well-bandaged up, too. So she had gotten lucky. It was a nice change from what she had been getting lately. This brought a smile to her dirty face; how relieved she was to be in a bed again. It was nice. But it would not last. It never did.

The knob on the door turned, and it opened, revealing a kindly and somewhat wrinkly face of an elderly woman.

"Oh, you're awake," the woman said in a warm voice.

The girl only stared at her, but her eyes widened when she noticed the tray the woman was carrying.

"So," the woman started, placing the tray of bread and water on the bedside table next to the girl, "what's your name?"

The girl hesitated for a second, not sure whether or not to answer. "Krystal," she said finally, unable to tear her eyes from the food and water.

"My, such a pretty name." The woman smiled. "It suits you, Dear."

"Can you tell me something, Miss—" Krystal started through a mouthful of bread.

"Oh, you can call me Gwen."

"Miss Gwen—"

"No, just Gwen," she interrupted, laughing lightly.

"Gwen," Krystal paused, trying the informality, "can you tell me where I am?"

"Well, you're in a house in Kakariko," Gwen responded, with amusement in her tone.

"Kakariko? I made it to Kakariko?"

"Yes, I live here with my husband, Richard, and my grandson, William."

"William?"

"Yes, he's the one who carried you in here. Quite the hero, if you ask me. Oh, I suppose they'd like to know you've awakened. I'll go and get them. Stay comfy, Dear; I shan't be long," she smiled and walked out the door.

Krystal stared through the half-open doorway, and it was not long before a boy about her age walked through, with Gwen and an elderly man right behind him. Krystal managed to sit up as they came in, this time being more careful not to get shot back down with pain. The blanket fell off her shoulders as she sat up, and Wil got a little red in the face. Krystal looked down and realized that only bandages covered up her chest. She blushed and quickly pulled the blankets back up, but soon regretted it, for the fast motion sent more pain up her side. She showed no sign of it, though.

"Oh, sorry, Dear; I had to take off your tunic," Gwen apologized. "It was covered in blood. But don't worry; I can get you a new one. Will that be all right?"

"Yes, that will be fine," Krystal said quietly.

"But first, I suppose I should introduce you," Gwen said. "Krystal, meet my husband, Richard."

"Hello," he said.

Krystal nodded in acknowledgement, not sure what to say.

"And this," Gwen continued, gesturing to Wil, "is William."

"Nice to meet you," he said with a smile. "Much better than our last meeting."

"Sorry," was all Krystal could manage.

"Don't worry about it," Wil assured her.

Gwen smiled and said, "Well, this is nice. I'll go get you a clean tunic."

The elderly woman left the three of them and went to find a closet.

"Krystal," Richard started, "where is it that you come from?"

Krystal seemed to be a little startled at the question and hesitated before she gave her answer. "I'm not sure, exactly; my group moves around a lot," she answered quietly, looking down.

"You're a Sheikah, aren't you?" Richard said.

Krystal hesitated again, "N-no"

"It's okay; you don't have to hide from us," Richard assured her.

She was staring at her covers.

"What?" was all Wil could manage. "You're a Sheikah?" he asked, sounding dumbfounded.

Krystal kept her gaze down. Richard looked at her with sympathy. "Don't worry; we've nothing against you," he told her, "We're all friends here. Just trying to get by in life."

Gwen chose this moment to return and shoo the boys away so Krystal could change. Though Krystal did not say anything as she changed, her face was shadowed by thoughts. After she was done, Gwen let Wil and Richard back in. They all took seats near the bed. "We know the Sheikah didn't truly betray the king," Gwen said.

"We don't believe every rumor we hear," Richard added.

"It's nice to know that someone doesn't," Krystal said, feeling a little more comfortable.

"So," Gwen started, changing the subject, "where did you come from, and how did you end up in the forest with that wound?"

"Our group was looking for a place to live," Krystal said, "and then we came to a group of monsters…" she paused.

"And?" Wil asked impatiently.

"…I got separated."

"Oh no, do you know where they are now?" Gwen asked, concerned.

"No, only the leader knew where we were going."

Gwen frowned. "Well, you're more than welcome to stay with us."

"Yes, we'll make Wil your own personal slave," Richard said, winking.

Krystal smiled. "Thank you."

Wil felt something when she smiled, but he ignored it and let the feeling drift away. He did not even want to think about it. Besides, she would probably leave not long after getting healed. He was not going to deal with feelings he did not need. He had already suffered enough.

Chapter 2:

A Simple Story

A couple of days later, after Wil had saved Krystal from the forest, Gwen was bringing lunch in for Krystal. She looked out a window on the way to Krystal's room. Outside she could see that it was cloudy out and it would probably rain soon. Wil was still outside hunting, and Richard was in the living room making toothpicks.

Gwen opened to door to Krystal's temporary room. "How are you feeling today, Krystal?"

"Good, thanks to you."

"I can't take all the credit. I've never seen anyone heal so quickly."

"That's part of what it means to be a Sheikah," she said with some resentment.

Gwen smiled as she put the tray of food next to the bed. "Well, we don't care if you're a Sheikah, Goron, or Zoran. We know you're a good person and that's all that matters."

Krystal gave a small smile at Gwen's kind statement. They could hear a chirping coming from the outside and both turned to look out the window. Looking through the gloomy day to a tree near the house, they could see a bird's nest on a branch. There were little baby birds chirping away, waiting for their mother to bring them some food. As the birds waited and waited, water droplets started to come down from the looming clouds. In a matter of seconds, the rain turned from just water droplets to huge chunks of water falling from the sky. Soon, everything in sight was wet, even the baby birds were soaked within the first few seconds.

The birds searched the skies frantically, looking for their mother to bring them the promised food. The wind started to pick up, blowing the leaves back and forth. It was by only a miracle that the nest didn't blow away with the babies in it. Gwen and Krystal watched this with worried looks on their faces. Krystal's expressing changed to concentration as she searched the skies for the mother bird.

"Those poor baby birds. Do you think their mother will return?" Krystal asked, sounding a little worried.

Gwen's expression also changed as she looked through the window, "I don't know. The rain is coming down hard, and the wind is blowing just as hard. I doubt even a fully grown bird could fly through this."

More time passed as they looked through the window. Gwen was just getting ready to give up and leave the room when the babies started to chirp faster. The leaves started to flutter in a different direction and a much larger bird burst through the leaves and landed on the nest. The mother finally came, with worms in her mouth just as she had promised her young.

As the babies fed on their wet dinner, the mother bird used her body as a shelter and protected her babies from the rain and the wind. Gwen and Krystal both relaxed at the sight of the bird. The mother was back and the babies were safe. Krystal smiled and Gwen turned to leave the room.

Gwen shut the door behind her as she left Krystal's temporary room. She walked to the living room and sat in a chair across from Richard.

"How is she doing?" Richard asked.

"Good, I think." She frowned. "It's hard to tell with her. She seems to heal so quickly. Someone with a wound like that would be in bed for a week at best. But she could be up and about by tomorrow," Gwen said with a hint of confusion.

"How is she mentally?" Richard's brow was furrowed.

Gwen thought for a moment before responding. "It's near impossible to tell. She hides her feelings and thoughts so well."

Richard frowned; it was not like Gwen to not know exactly what was going on in someone's mind. "Do you think she's troubled, or is she just quiet?"

Gwen sighed. "I honestly don't know. I doubt a mind reader could get through to her."

The front door flew open as Wil walked in, soaked, but with a very pleased look on his face. When Gwen and Richard looked up at him, he proudly held up the very large, dripping wet pig he had killed. "Whaddya think? Should I keep it, or throw it back and go for a bigger one?"

"Oh my!" Gwen's eyes widened when she saw the pig, completely ignoring the mess that Wil and the pig were making. The thought of all the future dinners that would bring made her exceedingly happy.

"Wow, that's quite a catch you have there. That should feed us for a while," Richard said, grinning as he thought of nice, fresh meat for dinner.

"This is to make up for the miss I made the other day," Wil said, beaming.

"I'm not so sure about that, what you brought home the other day was even more valuable," Gwen said with a motherly look in her eyes.

Wil looked towards the room Krystal was staying in. "Well she'll be better soon, then leave. She won't be our problem."

"No, she'll be your problem," Gwen said. "You'll help guide her back to where her people are," she responded to Wil's face that was as close as anyone could come to a question mark.

Wil didn't say anything; he just stared straight ahead as he went over what his grandmother had just said.

Gwen kept her gaze. "You know the area around better than anyone else. And it's well known that you can take care of yourself."

Richard decided to chime in, "it'll give you a nice chance to go around and check out other areas, too."

Wil wasn't sure what to say to them, he decided that it would be best if he kept silent for the time being. To everyone's surprise, Krystal walked into the room. As Wil and Richard turned to look at her Gwen said, "Krystal, what are you doing up? You're going to overexert yourself."

Krystal looked at her. "No I'm fine. I had enough energy so I figured I'd come out here."

"Do you need anything?" Gwen asked as she walked over and analyzed Krystal.

"I am a little hungry," she said sounding sheepish.

"Then I'll go and get you some food," Gwen said then left the room for the kitchen.

Richard decided that this was a good time for some conversation. He did not like the malicious cloud that was storming Wil's face. It did not bode well. "Krystal, could you tell us something about your people? We may be old, but we don't know a whole lot when it comes to the other races that live on this world."

Krystal thought for a moment, trying to remember what she had been told, "Well, how much do you know?"

"All we know is that the Sheikah are a more magically enhanced race that is very similar to us Hylians. Then there are other things you hear every now and then. Such as people with their rumors and such, and things that you read and wonder if they're even true. We would like to hear things from a more truthful source."

Krystal paused to gather her thoughts before she began. There was so much to tell, she wasn't sure where to start. "I suppose I'll start from the beginning. This is how the story is passed through the Sheikah tribes:

_As the legend goes, the land of Hyrule was a desolate, violent planet constantly on the verge of breaking apart. It was ruled by two deities: the leader is known now to the Gerudo as The Goddess of Sand, and her follower is known only as the Fierce Deity. The Goddess of Sand is supposedly still worshiped by the Gerudo. The Fierce Deity has since disappeared from all knowledge. _

_In this land of despair and chaos, three goddesses descend from the heavens and looked upon the raging world. The first goddess was Din, the Goddess of Power. Her two sisters were Nayru, the Goddess of Wisdom, and Farore, the Goddess of Courage. Each Goddess dove into the world one by one and spread their grace. Din brought the chaotic world to a stop by giving the land shape and position. Nayru gave order by providing law, and giving birth to knowledge. Finally, Farore created life to uphold the law, and reign over the lands. The Three gazed across their creation. Satisfied with their work, they ascended up into heavens from whence they came._

_Unbeknownst to the three goddesses, a rift was left in the land where they left. Through that rift another land was born, a place that mirrored the land that the three created. Though the new land was similar to the first, it was a little different. It was a golden land. The skies maintained a spectacular hue of gold for gold light emitted from a most sacred artifact. Three triangles that stood together to create one large triangle. These three triangles held the power that the three goddesses left behind. The golden Triforce stood in the very center of the sacred land, known only as the Sacred Realm. _

_Thousands of years later, races started to form, and intelligence came into contact with other intelligence until people were formed. Many different races were formed to fit their own certain areas. Gorons, a large sort of people who fed of rocks, reigned in the mountain areas, and made their home in the fiery Death Mountain. Zorans, a fish-like race, made their home in lakes and rivers. The Kokiri, a child-like race, roamed around in forests, protected by a sacred spirit, the Deku Tree. Finally, the most prominent race was brought into existence, the Hylians. These people were made to adapt to any climate, and any situation. They were a people with long ears and strong magical capabilities._

_Hundreds of years after these races were born, and after many years of strife, coexistence was brought into reality. The Hylians ended their battles and managed to live as one people. In their land, atop a hill, they built a fort, and after many years of increasing technology, a castle was built. Then, the first king was crowned. As every king after him, he took on the name of the land. Thus he became King Hyrule I. And the Royal Family came into existence._

_By the time King Hyrule III was ruling over the country, good relations had developed with the neighboring Gorons. A shaky, quiet alliance was formed with the Zoran people. The Kokiri, however, lived secretly and alone in their forests with no one aware of their existence. The Hylians started exploring new regions and came across a desert. Though the desert looked desolate and uninhabitable, the Hylians discovered a race of people with darker colored skin and different shaped ears. These people were called the Gerudo. Relations with these people were, at first, unstable at best. After a few years, raids by the Gerudo were made on Hylian territory. The people could not fight back. _

_King Hyrule III then decided to create another race, to protect and uphold the peace the Hylians strived for. The king gathered roughly, one of every thirty Hylians who were known for their exceptional gifts in magic, and enhanced their powers with his own. Thus, the powerful Sheikah race was created. These people lived in the shadows, and fought off the Gerudo when needed. They were granted full privilege of the castle, and free passage through the lands. To keep the magic powerful, and the bloodline pure, the Sheikah were only allowed to marry within their own race. _

_These are the people that were born for the purpose of upholding the balance the three great goddesses created, the forces of power, wisdom, and courage. A disruption in this balance would be more than chaotic._

"...after many wars and monsters raging the land because of Ganon, it is believed that the Sheikah people truly did disappear into the shadows. That is, up until a hundred years ago when Sheikah's suddenly reappeared at the king's side. Many believe it was the Sheikah who assassinated King Hyrule IX. Though, truly it was one of Ganon's men. Sadly however, we have had some of our own betray us and join the evil lord Ganon. Today, those traitors are killed on sight. There aren't many that actually manage to live long after betrayal. It's because of a few that Ganon has raised from his Dark Realm. After being banished to the Sacred Realm so many times by the hero Link, it truly is his Dark Realm."

Gwen had taken a seat next to Richard during the story. "And now more and more monsters are roaming the lands, wreaking havoc in their wake. William has suffered personally because of it."

Wil scuffed at the reminder and walked off to the back room where he had been staying.

"Sadly, it still plagues him," Gwen paused, "his parents were slaughtered right in front of him by a band of monsters. He managed to get away. But he still has his wounds. They aren't physical wounds either. The poor boy."

Richard moaned and stood up. "What a long night. Krystal, thank you for sharing that story with us, it was very enlightening. It's nice to finally hear the truth about how Hyrule came into being. I am sad to say however, there is no magic left in this old body. So, I am off to bed. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," both Krystal and Gwen said at the same time as Richard went to his room.

Gwen turned to Krystal. "I'm afraid I must agree with Richard, I, too, am very tired. Goodnight, dear."

"Goodnight."

Gwen walked to her room right behind Richard but turned to look out the window before she walked through the doorway. It was still raining outside, though not quite as hard as it was earlier. Gwen walked through the door.

Krystal got up and left the living room and headed for her room. She stopped before she walked through the doorway. She could hear the sounds of metal on metal coming from Wil's room. She took a step back to get a better look towards Wil's room and thought about seeing if he was okay. She decided against it; talking to people in these types of situations wasn't really her specialty. She frowned and walked into her room to get ready for bed.

Chapter 3:

What's Going On?

The next morning was damp and wet, thanks to the previous day's downpour. The ground was soaked and muddy, the trees still wet, and the paths were difficult to traverse. They were the signs of a long and hard day. If the people of Kakariko got lucky, the sun would shine brightly all day, and everything would dry up quickly. If they were unlucky, it would snow. Snow, however, was near impossible in the early autumn months that they were in. In this case, the sun was out, the clouds were few, and the pigs were happy in their slop.

Outside one house was a bird's nest with two babies sleeping under their mother's wing. The sun was still low enough that it was mostly hidden by all the tall trees in the town. Kakariko was completely surrounded by forest on three sides and a great mountain range on the north side, so the birds did not have to worry about anything disturbing their peaceful slumber. Still, it was still in the birds' nature to wake up early, as the mother was just starting to do.

She opened her eyes and looked around the town. It was early in the morning, but plenty of people could be seen quietly milling about. The owner of the bazaar was opening up his door, letting in the cool, damp air. The nearby potion shop was just turning its lights on: the looming candles the only sign of an invitation to the exotic liquids and various eccentric items inside.

The graveyard to the east showed no activity whatsoever. It was just as dead as its residents. The only sign of life was the moss growing on the old, collapsed hut that used to belong to a grave-keeper back in ancient times. Now it was obvious that the graveyard hadn't been tended to in quite some time. The grass was overgrown; most of the smaller gravestones were completely covered up. Even the cracks in the walkway had long pieces of grass sticking through, and the stone steps that lead up to the royal grave were crumbling.

Back in the town, more life could be seen from most of the houses. In the case of the house by the bird's nest, there was life throughout the house, but all were trying their best to be quiet as not to disturb the other residents.

The mother flew from her perch swiftly enough so that her babies didn't wake and went in search of food. As she left the vicinity of the tree, she decided to circle the house a few times to see if any not-so-lucky worms were still around from the heavy shower of the night before. She landed on the ground near a predominantly muddy patch of earth and started to pound on the soil to see if any worms would come up. Sure enough, after a few stomps, a worm popped its little featureless head out of the land, and before it could sneak back down, the mother bird snatched it with her beak and took off from the dirt. After regurgitating and feeding her young, the mother looked around from her perch and let her gaze drift into the tree-colored box closest to the nest. She decided to go land on a piece of tree that stuck out near the invisible barrier.

The bird could see one of the strange ground-walkers doing something with exertion. The giant, featherless beast had its long strands of dark blue _something _down to its waist, with an extra layer of skin that was the same color of the something that sprouted from the creature's head. It was moving its wings in a strange way, thrusting them in and out. Even stranger, though, were the wings themselves: absolutely useless in flight and only good for picking things up. It was also moving its clawless talons in a similar fashion to its featherless wings.

The actions were completely bizarre to bird, but still, she wasn't surprised by what she saw—just curious. The odd ground-walkers were always doing things that confused the mother bird, and this one even _felt_ different from the rest. Although she was just a bird, she was attracted to this creature, but she could not get to it through the invisible shield of death.

Suddenly, the beast's wings went to its stomach area and dropped closer to the ground. The mother stared on, assuming this to be some part of the thing's morning routine. After a few minutes of watching, the bird decided that no good could be done from being perched on the protruding, tree-like thing and went back to its nest to tend to its babies.

Inside the house, things were not so calm. The only thing remotely placid was Richard as he whittled away on a piece of wood next to the fireplace. He looked up from his new toothpick and saw Gwen pacing in the kitchen. Her short, salt-and-pepper hair was standing up in a few places, as she had not quite gotten around to fixing it yet from waking up. She was worried about what food to make for the day, about Wil shutting himself in his room, and if her decision about Krystal was a just one. Richard could hear the sound of a hammer hitting metal coming from Wil's temporary room, so that meant the boy would probably spend most, if not all, of the day in there, fashioning one item or another.

Richard had heard no noises coming from Krystal's room, so he assumed her to be asleep. He frowned as he looked around the house. Between Gwen and Wil, the tension was so palpable, someone with claustrophobia would suffocate. Something needed to be done about those two, but the problem for Richard was that Gwen was usually the one who solved the problems. Then again, he had been married to her for quite some years; he figured that he might have learned something by then. It was time for this old man to take action.

Richard kept his voice firm, but put enough kindness into it so he didn't seem like he was bossing Gwen around. "Gwen, stop pacing; you're just making yourself more nervous than you already are."

Gwen looked over at him, and her eyes focused onto the world around her as she came out of her reverie. "Oh…you're right, Richard. All this thinking isn't going to do me or anyone else any good." She sat next to Richard. "I'm not sure what to do, though. Wil always gets so touchy with these matters; you always have to act like you're walking on eggshells around him." She frowned in thought. "And I'm still not sure about anything on Krystal."

Richard looked at his long-time partner with sympathy and chose his words carefully. "Well, the first thing you should do is get yourself in order. You can't help anyone else if your mind isn't in order yet. Drink some tea, calm down, then we'll get to work on these kids."

Gwen smiled at her husband. "I'm glad I have you."

Richard nodded. "I know."

With that, Gwen got up and went to the kitchen to make some tea. Richard went back to making more toothpicks. There were never enough toothpicks.

Wil studied the blade he was working on. It was similar to the one Krystal had wielded against him in the forest. It was a short dagger that was balanced well enough to be thrown from a good distance. He hadn't started working on the handle yet, but the blade itself was nearly finished. There was a rag on the workbench next to him that had dried blood on it from his hands; he used the rag to wipe down the blade so he could get a good look at it. The edges were indeed very sharp, a fact he had proven when he made test cuts on his fingers. Wil closed one eye and held up the dagger so it was pointing at his open eye. From that angle, the metal looked like a pyramid with two opposite corners pulled out, and the other two pushed inward. The two elongated corners were the edges, and he could see that they were perfectly smooth.

He decided that he should test the balance out a few times before he wrapped cloth around the handle. With the dagger in his left hand, he widened his stance so his right foot was pointing forward and his left foot was behind him. His right arm was out in front of him, pointing to the spot where he wanted the knife to go. Wil twisted his body as he threw and let the weapon go. It zipped through the air, and the tip stuck into a piece of wood just a few inches above where he had intended.

The blade had pierced the wood very well, and Wil decided that the metal was finished. All he needed to do was wrap the cloth on the handle and engrave his mark on the pommel. He walked over to the drawer and grabbed a few tools.

Krystal managed to slowly lower herself next to her bed and sat down with her back against the mattress. She was breathing heavily from the exercise and from her wound. The exercise itself was nothing complicated—a few stretches with punches and kicks thrown in—but it had definitely taken a toll on her body. Her wound was flaring and yelling at her, her body desperately asking why she put it through such treatment. However, Krystal knew her body could handle more. Today, though, she didn't want to work herself into unconsciousness like she had a tendency to do. Doing that would most likely upset Gwen, and she could already feel Gwen's distress emanating from the kitchen.

_That woman gets no rest_, Krystal thought to herself.

Krystal had no qualms about leaving—the sooner, the better, in fact. The problem she did have, though, was Wil. To Krystal, he seemed like a handful of problems all on his own. He had a lot of anger in him, and many more emotions he didn't realize he had and couldn't possibly control. Wil would definitely be dangerous during travel, especially if they encountered enemies. Monsters were never easy to defeat, and Wil would be a danger to himself and everything around him. She would have to leave him at some point. It wasn't a nice thing to do, and it would be a dishonor to his name, but for the sake of his safety—and her own—she would have to ditch him and continue by herself.

It would be no difficult task; she was, after all, One of the Shadow. When things were safe and quiet, she would disappear, and Wil would have no choice but to go back home. All that was left her to worry about was finding her tribe again. If all else failed, she would just report back to the castle; the king would know best what to do.

Krystal slowly pushed herself off from the floor and made an attempt to stand. Wavering at first, she managed to get a hold of her balance and stood up straight. Thankfully, the room had stopped spinning, and she could walk without having to worry too much about falling down. Walking, however, was more than she wanted to do. All she felt like doing was lying down on the bed, which she did. Going as slowly as her patience and muscles would let her, she laid down on the bed on her back and stared at the pale brown ceiling.

The ceiling was nothing spectacular, but her eyes didn't move from the spot. She was exhausted and was doing what she could to try to catch her breath. There were times when she liked the feeling of fatigue, and this was one of them. She had nothing else useful she could do, so she pushed her body. The harder she did it, and the closer she got to her brink, the stronger her body would become, and that's what she was aiming for. There was still energy to tap into if she needed it this time, though; this wasn't a good place to pass out. Then again, the middle of a strange forest wasn't a good place, either.

Krystal closed her eyes and let her consciousness drift into the other rooms of the house. Since the Sheikah were magically enhanced and inter-bred to keep their magic, they possessed many more magical powers then the Hylians. That wasn't saying much, though; the Hylians had almost completely lost their magic. Krystal could feel it in Wil; there was a presence that drifted around him that he hadn't learned to tap into and probably never would without proper training.

She used her powers of telepathy and empathy to search the feelings of the house, and she could get an idea of what was going on. She got a sense of quiet content coming from Richard, small amounts stress from Gwen, and a flux of ignored emotions from Wil. Krystal tried to focus more on Wil, to see if she could get a better look at what was going on inside his mind, but all his thoughts were so focused on what he was doing that she couldn't get through to him. It was a disappointment; he might be easier to deal with if she could just understand better what was going on inside him. She gave up and decided to look more into Gwen and Richard.

Richard was a little worried about Gwen and Wil, but he didn't let it bother him too much; he was happy enough with just making his toothpicks. Gwen's thoughts were just as simple, but not quite as happy as Richard's. She was used to Wil's breakouts, but she had never liked them and always wished she could help, but the only thing she knew to do was just to let him blow off his steam until he was ready to come back out and be social again. Krystal also noticed that Gwen seemed to be a little worried about Krystal herself, wondering if she was doing the right thing.

She thought about it for a moment and decided that the sooner she left this family, the happier they would be.

_Safer, too_, she thought.

Keeping a Sheikah amongst Hylians would turn out to be dangerous; anything could happen to these people. Krystal would need to leave the town soon.

Krystal frowned and looked out the window. There was an ominous feeling coming from somewhere near the mountains. Something wasn't right. She had rested long enough, so she got up from the bed, put on fresh clothes, and opened the door.

The house looked just like she had seen it in her mind: Gwen and Richard were sitting in their chairs, and the door to Wil's room was closed. She walked over to where Gwen and Richard were sitting. "Good morning," she said carefully and quietly.

Gwen and Richard turned their heads to look at Krystal. Gwen spoke first, "Oh, good morning, Krystal."

"Good morning," Richard added.

"How are you feeling?" Gwen asked.

Krystal bowed her head a little as she said, "Better, thank you."

Gwen stood up and walked over to Krystal. "Would you like something to eat?"

"Yes, please."

Gwen left the room and went for the kitchen. Krystal stayed where she was.

"Krystal, why don't you have a seat? You mustn't have much energy."

Krystal nodded. "Thank you." She sat down next to Richard.

Richard turned to her and gave her a smile before starting, "So, yesterday you gave us a good answer to our question; I was wondering if there were any questions I could answer for you?"

Krystal looked at him and thought for a moment. After a few seconds, she came up with a question. "Yes, do you have any kind of defensive system here?"

Richard was taken aback a little by the question, but managed to find an answer anyway. "Well…yes, in a way. A very simple one. We don't use it very often, so not many people think about it much. There's a large bell atop a hill near the graveyard that rings whenever there's a disturbance to the peace."

"So, if there was an attack by monsters or something, someone would ring that bell?" Krystal asked, feeling a little calmer.

"That's right. Once that bell rings, it alerts the entire town that there is danger approaching. Everyone who can bear a weapon goes out and fights. But, that hasn't been necessary for quite some time." He paused in thought. "In fact…I don't really remember the last time someone rang the bell."

Krystal nodded.

"Do you have any more questions?" Richard asked.

Krystal thought again. "Well, could you tell me a little about your family?"

Richard smiled again. "Of course."

Richard went into an explanation about him and Gwen, about the birth of Wil's mother, and later, the birth of Wil. Then he went on to tell about how Wil had ended up with his grandparents, and how Wil was forced to relive the gruesome events of his past.

After a little while of talking, Gwen walked back in with a plate of food and a glass of water for Krystal.

The bell tower was just as Richard had explained, but things were not as simple and easy as he and the rest of Kakariko thought. The system was indeed simple, but it was far from reliable. The people of Kakariko were in a delusional state of security: they thought there was no chance of an attack—especially in a town the size of Kakariko. They also thought that, in the far-off chance that there was an attack, the bell would warn everyone, and everything would be okay. What they didn't expect was that someone who could actually think would be considered an enemy: that someone with malicious intentions would actually seek the weaknesses to the Kakariko defense system. And what they didn't know was that someone knew everything they did, and that someone was going to take advantage of the town's largest weakness. That someone was smiling.

Wil was still sitting in his room alone, and he was starting to get fed up with himself. He knew he wasn't someone who liked to admit weakness; he'd like to think that he didn't have any flaws. However, he knew better than he than anyone else that he had plenty of faults. He just wished he could overcome them somehow, but he didn't have any idea on how to get over this bump in his life.

Sitting in the chair in his provisional room, he pondered on his life, his personality, and whatever else he might be strongly affected by. His stream of thoughts wouldn't last long, though, for he heard a sound that confused him at first, then forced a rush of adrenaline through his body. With the loud sound, there also came another feeling: dread. There was something going on outside, and Wil knew he had to go see what. He shouldered his bow and attached the sword to his belt. The room was full of different weapons, but those two were all he needed, and he walked out the door.

Silence had befallen the living room. The bell had rung. Its echoes could still be heard, resonating inside everyone's head. There was a look of fear of Gwen's and Richard's faces. Krystal looked at each of their faces, then looked outside. She couldn't believe the irony. Was this possible? In the midst of her confusion, the door to Wil's room opened, and he came out with his redwood bow and sword: the same equipment he had been wearing when he had found her. Obviously, he was going outside to discover the reason for the bell.

"I'm going to find out what's going on," he said, confirming everyone's suspicions.

Krystal looked outside again then said, "I'm going with you."

Wil shook his head. "No, you'll only injure yourself even more. Stay here where it's safe."

Krystal stood up quickly and looked as if she had been insulted. Her hands were balled into fists, and her eyes were wild. "You can't possibly expect me to stay in here! I was born and raised a fighter; I've fought and won in conditions worse than these! I want to know what's going out there as bad as you do. Besides, it might have something to do with my people."

Wil glowered at her. After a few agonizing seconds, he finally said, "Fine. There are weapons in the back. Take what you need. There might not even be any fighting. There could—"

"I'm aware of the possibilities," she interrupted him. She turned to Gwen and Richard, who had been quietly observing the exchange. "Excuse me." With that, she went to the back room and looked from suitable weapons.

In his room, there was an excess amount of weapons, from small throwing knives to the large broadswords, along with a rainbow of brown colored bows. Krystal quickly glanced at the assortment of weaponry and picked out a couple throwing knives and a slim short sword. She tucked the knives into various pockets of her pants and tied the sword sheath to her belt.

Wil was waiting impatiently by the front door, eager to get outside and see what was going on. "Are you ready yet?" he asked, obviously not trying to hide his eagerness.

"Yes, let's go," Krystal said with resolve.

Wil turned around and opened the door; he let Krystal go out first, then followed behind her.

As the two reluctant companions walked outside, they were met with a small stream of running people who were bearing armor and weapons. It looked like they were headed toward the town gate. With a destination in mind, Wil and Krystal set off and joined the other ready-to-battle men and women who were headed toward unknown danger.

Elsewhere in Kakariko, someone wearing dark clothes was hiding in the shadows. The enshrouded figure watched as all the clueless people rushed to protect their pitiful little town. He laughed a cold and heartless laugh. Once the last person had run past his hiding place, he stuck his head out of the shadows and looked around to make sure it was clear. There wasn't anyone in sight, and it was highly unlikely that he would be seen, anyway. Most of the town was either hiding in their "safe" homes, or off "fighting." The dark-colored man ran from one looming shadow to the next and finally reached his target. The main gate hung over the shadow-of-a-man like a great structure. The main gate was made entirely of wood and was incredibly old. It had somehow managed to survive the long years of strife and torment. The dark man chuckled to himself. The irony of the situation was indeed something to be found humorous. He looked at the item he held in his left hand. It was a simple and plain match, similar to the ones used to light candles.

_This little piece of wood is going to destroy something almost meaningless, and yet set off all the other events._ He laughed to himself. _Irony is often cruel and merciless._ With a sinister grin on his face, he lit the match.

Wil was disappointed once he reached Hyrule Field. The rest of village members had taken care of the disturbance. In fact, it was only a minor disturbance. Just a few weak monsters running about. _Why did that set off an alarm?_ Wil pondered as he checked over the remains of what used to be a skulltulas.

Things seemed calm for the most part; no even appeared to be injured. They had massively outnumbered the fiends. Krystal was wondering around, but had her face down with as much hair in the way as possible. To Wil, it looked as though she were trying to hide herself. Apparently she was doing a good job, since almost no one noticed her; even if they did see her, they never gave her a second glance. It seemed almost as if Krystal was covering herself in darkness and becoming obscure. Wil was surprised when he noticed that he was having trouble focusing on her. It was strange, but he needed to get back to the reason that they were all out there in the first place. His attention was brought to a man shouting further down the field.

"Hey! I think there might be more down this way!" the man shouted and pointed down the other side of a hill. This also grabbed the attention of the rest of the village, and everyone rushed to where the man was standing. The man pointed to the ground and said, "Look, there are spider and skeleton tracks. I'm sure more of these beasts are around here somewhere."

"Let's follow them," said an older man with short stubble and graying hair. He appeared to be a hunter to Wil. The consensus of the group was, indeed, to follow the tracks and eliminate the rest of the monsters.

Much to the crowd's dismay, they were walking toward the sun and couldn't always get a clear view of what was ahead.

After a half an hour of traveling and not a single monster sighting, the people were starting to lose face and grow weary of their expedition.

"Maybe we should head back," one very round man suggested wearily.

"Yes…this is starting to look pointless," a woman agreed.

"Oh, sacred three…look!" One person who had turned around had noticed something that scared everyone to a point they couldn't believe.

Thick, black smoke was billowing from where they had come. Kakariko was on fire.

Chapter 4:

Oh…That

Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't seem to take very long to sprint from Hyrule Field to the gate of Kakariko. In fact, it doesn't take very long: merely a few minutes at most. However, when your beloved home town is aflame, a speeding arrow shot from a Gerudo re-curved bow traveling in a strait line non-stop wouldn't be able to reach the village fast enough. Even though there was plenty of time to think—thanks to the few minutes that it takes to reach the town—there was a very general feeling and thought process: What's going on?

Krystal was running as fast as her body would let her and still managing to keep up with the rest of the villagers. She did not need to try to conceal herself anymore; everyone's attention was focused on the smoke.

Wil was in much better condition than Krystal was able to get to the head of the group by using all his adrenaline to try to reach his adopted home. Krystal could feel the panic coming from him in waves. Not just panic, but pure dread. Fear. He was afraid more than anything. She could almost feel the fear propelling him. It was definitely a rush, but it was not a rush she was enjoying. This kind of motivation could be very dangerous, and it was very possible that Wil could do something stupid.

The exercise from just an hour before had already taken most of Krystal's energy; she was afraid that she might run out of stamina before she could reach Wil. That fear was quickly eliminated. He stopped once he got to the gate, as did most of the other villagers. They all stared in total shock as they watched the raging fires consume their homes. People in town were running around: scorched clothes and singed hair were the ones who had gotten lucky; many other people were trapped in their homes. The men and women were stunned.

Krystal was not as easily fazed as the rest of the people; she was able to quickly regain herself and decide on a course of action. She needed to think quickly, though; the fires would not wait for her, or someone else, to come up with a plan. Looking around her, she noticed a well that was nearby and remembered seeing more of them on her initial run to fight the monsters.

It was a simple task to push herself through the villagers and make her way to the front where Wil was standing. She shouted so everyone could hear her, "Everyone! To the wells—we can still stop the fires!"

Some of the people managed to glance at her, while others just kept looking dumbfounded.

"People, your homes are burning! Do something!" Krystal shouted again, this time managing to snap people back to their senses. She was relieved to see most of them head to different wells as others went to fetch buckets. Nearly everyone had gone—everyone except for Wil. He kept looking at the people running about, and Krystal guessed he was searching for his grandparents.

Krystal grabbed him by the shoulders and stared into his eyes. "Wil, we have to go to your grandparents' house. We have to see if Gwen and Richard are all right."

Wil looked back into her deep, dark red eyes, and she saw something she did not expect. He was scared. Clearly scared. Studying him, she thought he appeared as though he was ready to run away and never return. Facing the fear of a burning home was the worst possible thing Krystal could force him to do, but she had to do it. She would not be able to rescue Gwen and Richard herself—assuming it came down to that.

Krystal shook him gently. "Come on, Wil; we have to go."

Wil swallowed and tried to regain his voice. "A-all right…"

She grabbed his wrist and started to pull him toward his house. After a few steps, Wil managed to gain his own momentum and run with her the rest of the way. They had to avoid cuckoos, scared people, and even horses that had broken loose.

There was nothing but chaos erupting through the once-peaceful town of Kakariko. Krystal could not begin to guess how this had come about. It seemed like too much of a coincidence for there to suddenly be a raging inferno in the town when all the help was off somewhere else, fighting a few random monsters. She didn't have time to let the thoughts ferment once they reached Wil's house. Like most of the other houses, it, too, was on fire and had no hope of being salvaged. Krystal's first reaction was to head right to the front door, but she saw right away that it was blanketed in flames and had no chance of allowing passage. Then, Wil ran to the side of the house with the tree: the tree which had miraculously remained un-singed. The sound of a sword being drawn brought Krystal's attention toward Wil. His sword was out and he was looking at the window that led into the room Krystal had been using. He raised his sword up and brought the bottom of the hilt crashing down into the window, creating an entrance for himself and Krystal, and also creating an exit for the black smoke that immediately came billowing out. Drawing her daggers, Krystal got the idea and helped Wil clear the window of glass and made it safe for them to crawl through.

Before Krystal could do anything, Wil launched himself into the house, but quickly poked his head back out the window. "Wait here," he said. "This is my family; I don't need someone else getting hurt. Besides, you've already pushed yourself too far. Wait here and help me pull them back out."

Krystal wanted to protest: she wanted to say that she could be of more use inside the house, instead of waiting for him to take action. This was not the time, though; Wil needed to do this and, as reluctant as she was, she nodded toward him. "All right. Be careful."

Wil nodded and retracted his head. She could hear the sound of a drawer opening; then she heard him kick the door down and start calling for his grandparents. Pacing was all she could do while she waited. Waiting…it was the worst thing that could be done to someone like Krystal. She wasn't an impatient person; she just liked to take action, never sitting and watching as other people did all the work. The feeling of being useless wouldn't leave her; she wanted to rush in there after Wil to help save Gwen and Richard. They had helped her, after all; she couldn't just leave them be. It was starting to become more than she could take. Wil could not rescue them alone. He was being a fool, and she was letting him. This was not right. All of her senses were screaming at her to get in that house and help those who had helped her. The nerves in her arms and legs were starting to twitch, anticipating the movement, waiting and longing for action.

Just when she couldn't take it anymore, she heard a crash and various swears and oaths coming from inside. With a curious look, Krystal peeked her head into the window. "Wil! What the hell is going on?"

She could see Wil now, and she saw him punch a wall in frustration. He let out a few more words that Krystal guessed he would never say in front of his grandparents.

"They're not here!" he shouted angrily. "They're gone! Someone took them."

Krystal was more than surprised by what she heard, but helping Wil became her priority when she remembered the fire. "Wil, calm down; we have to get out of here before this place collapses."

Her words seemed lost on him; his only response was to punch the wall again as he hung his head in defeat.

"Wil!" Krystal shouted frantically.

A shelf near him fell over and sent sparks flying; that made him look up and brought his attention to Krystal.

"Come on, Wil; we have to go," Krystal urged him in as gentle of a voice as she could manage.

Wil responded with a nod and started walking toward the window. Krystal got out of the way as he jumped out.

Wil looked around when he got outside. They were still people running around, trying to put out the fires or just trying to save themselves. He couldn't quite believe the recent turn of events. It was appalling to consider that something had actually happened to his grandparents. _How could this happen? Why? Who would want to take Grandma and Grandpa?_ There were no sane reasons; only a monster could have done this. His grandparents were as innocent as can be; why would anyone want to bring harm to them? This was wrong…so very wrong. Wil felt sick to his stomach. The thought of losing his grandparents like he did his parents…the thoughts and emotions were so unbearable, he couldn't even begin to place them. Instead, Wil just let his mind go numb as he and Krystal walked away from the raging inferno that had taken away another one of his homes.

Once they had walked far enough away, Wil and Krystal sat down in the grass. Wil didn't notice Krystal at all as she looked on with a helpless gaze as the buildings were slowly destroyed, and as she watched as Wil suffered in silence. He was completely oblivious to everything around him. Although his eyes were affixed to the grass between his legs, he saw nothing. People could be heard shouting, the fires could be heard burning, and the sounds of buildings collapsing filled the air, but he heard nothing. The burning smells of wood, grass, hair, straw, and even flesh drifted everywhere, but he could smell nothing. There were numerous little cuts on his body from when he had climbed in and out of the window, and they were bleeding steadily, but Wil had no idea he was pain.

He simply stared into the thin blades of grass, his mind going nowhere and everywhere at once. Nothing but a mass of chaos cluttered in one small space, and it did nothing but collect more and more chaos while nothing seeped out. Wil's mind was taking in anything and everything, but his consciousness was aware of nothing. Everything was going in, but nothing was coming out. If he were lying on a road, he would have passed for dead.

However, he wasn't lying in the middle of a road. He was sitting next to a girl who was sweating and shaking from not being able to do anything. Not lying someplace quiet, he was sitting in the middle of a town that was half on fire. Instead of looking up at a peaceful blue sky, he was staring down at green grass that sprouted from the dirty, brown earth.

This was not the place Wil wanted to be. By far, not the world he wanted to live in. Most of all, these were not the people he wanted to lose.

His eyes started to focus; his mind started to thaw as different thoughts started slowly forming. His fingers twitched, then formed into fists. He took a deep breath, and all the chaos and distortion in his mind vanished. There was a goal. Something he had to do. The only thing he could possibly do. Nothing else mattered: not his life, not Krystal's life, not even the fate of the burning town. One thing to be done, and he had to do it.

His resolve set, Wil stood up with a stern look on his face as he stared forward, into the distance. Death Mountain stood not very far away, and could be seen easily. That wasn't saying much, though; Death Mountain was the largest of the mountains and could be seen from almost anywhere on or near Hyrule Field. Wil could even see it through the smoke. The right side was a dirty orange; the left side was dark, since it saw no sun. Half light, half dark. He mused that his heart was probably the same way.

This wasn't the time for idle thoughts. He needed to focus and get done what must be done as soon as possible.

Krystal stood up and faced him. "Wil, what are you doing?"

Wil looked to his left where she was standing. He was surprised to notice that she had a worried look on her face. After a few seconds of studying her, he realized what his first step needed to be. "Krystal…it's time you went back. You have to find your people."

Krystal expression changed to complete surprise. "What? And what are you going to do?"

Wil looked back toward Death Mountain; the sky in the background was starting to turn orange. "I'm going to find my grandparents," he said with resolution. "Someone took them, and I'm going to get them back."

Krystal shook her head. "Wil, you're a fool."

Wil looked back at her, clearly offended. "What? How dare you say something like that?"

"You're rushing into something, and you have no idea how to go about it," Krystal said. "Besides, how do you even know that someone took them?"

Wil eyes slowly moved away from Krystal as his expression turned to a sad one. "I know…I just do," he said quietly. With a stronger voice, he added, "And I was making a plan. It starts with you leaving. Then I leave and find my grandparents. How does that sound? I think we should set that into motion right away."

Krystal glared at him. "You really are a fool. You're trying to get rid of the greatest help anyone could ask for."

Wil locked eyes with her and glared back. "Oh, and what would that be?"

Krystal smiled. "I'm a Sheikah, and I'm trying to find a group of other Sheikah. We are shadow people who can move around unnoticed. Therefore, we have considerably good information and resources."

Wil's expression lost force as it went neutral. "Oh…that."

"Lucky for you," Krystal continued, "I want to help find your grandparents and do what I can for them. They helped me, it's the least I can do for them."

Wil's expression didn't change; he just kept staring. A full minute passed before he finally let go of his gaze. A sigh escaped from his lungs. "So you're saying you would help me?"

Krystal nodded. "That's right. But don't forget, I'm not doing it for you; I'm doing it for them."

Wil gave her a serious look as he thought about her offer. It was a generous one, indeed. Not even a fool would dare pass up something like this. Even so, there were bound to be consequences. What the outcome of following this indigo-haired girl would be, Wil couldn't even begin to guess. But he had no other plan, and no good way of coming up with one. He sighed again. "All right. I'll do it."

"Good," Krystal said with a smug smile.

"Let's try not to kill each other on this little…quest, okay?" Wil asked.

"I will, Din help me, if you aren't annoying." Krystal said while rolling her eyes.

Wil's eyes narrowed. "This is going to be a long journey…"

Krystal prayed to all three goddesses: Din, Nayru, and Farore. She was going to need all the help she could get with this. The greatest challenge she had ever faced. Some random guy named Wil. _He was right about one thing: this is going to be a long journey…_

Chapter 5:

Foolishness Goes Far

Traveling with Wil, Krystal knew, would be difficult but it wasn't what she expected it to be. He rarely said anything as they traversed the not-so-worn paths in the forests. Every now and then Krystal would try and start up a conversation, usually by asking a question about Wil, most of the time he seemed, at best, uninterested. When she asked about his skills as a smith, he merely shrugged and said that he only knew how to make a few swords and daggers. Apparently he hadn't made a business out of selling them. Krystal assumed he thought his skills needed more refining before he could come with any kind of success in making the weapons. Looking at one of her daggers, she would have to agree with him. When she used it to smash open the window, it kept sending painful shocks to her hand since there was nothing to absorb the blows. Normally there was a core of some sort in the handle, usually wood. Or the entire handle would be made of wood.

Twenty minutes after her last question, Krystal was looking up at the high tree branches and wondering how she would be able to put up with the apathetic fool that she was traveling with. By far, he was the worst companion she had ever had. Even that one pervert she had to travel with wasn't this bad. _At least he talked_, Krystal thought. _Then again, he talked a little too much. Why must men be so difficult? Can't there be a happy medium?_ She looked over at Wil who had his head tilted down just a little so he was looking at the ground a ways in front of him. He was walking a few paces ahead of her so she knew he wouldn't notice her studying him.

In a lot of ways, he seemed different from most of the men she had met. Nearly all of the Sheikah males were proud, quiet warriors who lived on a strict honor code. All of the Sheikah were raised to the same standards: growing up in hidden tribes that continuously move across Hyrule and eventually doing special training in Hyrule Castle. Although Hylians generally grew up in a considerably different live style, there were still plenty of similarities between the two races. A lot of the Hylian men were honorable and respectable (there were, of course, plenty of men that Krystal severely did _not_ like) and they lived good lives. The main difference, obviously, was that Hylians were able to live out in the open while the Sheikah were forced to live their entire lives in concealment, constantly hiding in the shadows and keeping to their namesake: Shadow People.

Krystal did have to admit that she could not properly judge Wil yet; she had not known him for long. For the most part, he didn't seem to have much in common with the stereotypes of his people. He didn't even seem to look like a blacksmith. Most men of the steel and iron trade were large and had muscles to boast themselves about. Wil wasn't short by any means, but he wasn't bursting with muscles either. After a few seconds of thought, Krystal decided that he was best classified as being fairly muscular.

A quiet breeze blew some leaves over and caused Wil's bangs to tickle his face. Even though it must have itched, he made no move to do anything about it. Clearly, he was not even paying attention to the world around him. If he were a Sheikah, the older tribe members would be sure to teach him why it is never wise to let your guard down.

Krystal looked down the winding path. It may have been used a while ago, but it was obviously not currently being used since there were so many untouched leaves spread across the ground. The forest floor looked like a beautiful mixture of reds, yellows, oranges, and browns. Farore definitely got something right when she created life to uphold Nayru's laws.

Once again Krystal looked over at Wil who was still walking along with no expression on his face at all. "You know, a Sheikah bowman on the other side of a tree could take you out and you wouldn't even realize it," Krystal said.

Wil's gained an annoyed expression and said, "What are you talking about? Why would a Sheikah bowman try to shoot me?"

"'Why' isn't important," Krystal replied. "I'm just saying that you're very prone to attacks right now. You need to be more aware of your surroundings or you could walk right into an ambush."

"And who would ambush me? There's no one around like that," Wil said, getting more annoyed as the conversation progressed.

"Who would want to set Kakariko on fire?"

Wil went silent and put his eyes back to the ground. Krystal was starting to get frustrated with him. He was going beyond being just difficult to deal with, he was becoming a nuisance. Luckily patience was one of the many things that the Sheikah were taught. However, that had never been one of Krystal's more pronounced attributes. Especially when it came to dealing with people who annoyed her. The dirty blonde that she was walking with was certainly someone that she found obnoxious.

An hour of silence passed and Krystal was starting to get frustrated. No matter how hard she looked, she could find no signs whatsoever of her people being about. Granted, they were good at hiding, she thought that she might be able to somehow track back to where they were located. The path they were walking had been taking them south-west for nearly their entire trip so far. This was not the best for Krystal's plan. It was very likely that they would need to go to Hyrule Castle and that was in the complete other direction from Kakariko. Krystal's life had seen better days and all this walking was starting to take a toll on her. Her body was still not at its full capacity and tired too quickly.

_That monster dealt a wound I will not soon forget—nor forgive_, Krystal thought as she placed a hand to her side. "I think we should take a break," She said out loud.

Wil turned his head and looked over his shoulder at her, then paused when he noticed where her hand was placed. "Alright," he said. "Lets go by that tree." He pointed at a large tree down the path a ways and off to the left.

They both sat with their back against the trunk and opened the packs they were carrying on their backs. Before leaving Kakariko they had decided to stop off at the bazaar and—to Krystal's request—the potion shop. Wil had to go into the bazaar alone while Krystal hid herself nearby. She still didn't want to be discovered by the villagers, even though she had come dangerously close the day before—the day of the fire. The potion shop, on the other hand, wasn't a problem for Krystal because she knew the lady who worked there. The Old Hag, as she was called, was better with her nose than her eyes but kept the secret of the Sheikah with her since her family had many dealings with them. The Sheikah were in constant need of supplies and the Old Hag was the best way to obtain them since she was generally considered wise and mysterious.

Wil took a water canteen out from his pack and took a gulp. He looked through his pack and pulled out a small chunk of bread and another small chunk of cheese. Krystal rummaged through her own pack and found her water canteen. She was hungry more than anything, but her mouth and throat needed quenching. _At least I know my mouth isn't dry from talking too much…_

Nothing but stone. Stone flags made up the floor, walls, and even the ceiling. Even the two moblins carrying him seemed to be made of stone. Their skin was so thick, they were near impossible to pierce with any kind of knife—he had found out the hard way. Each of the brutes had a hold of one of his arms. They were so tall that only his toes brushed against the floor. Then entire hallway was damp, too. There was also a horrid smell. He couldn't tell if the smell was constantly there, or if it was emanating from the nasty brown creatures that were dragging him along.

Those beasts were so horrible. The moblins stood at a height that was one-and-a-half times the size of a normal man. Not only were they tall, but they were bursting with muscles. One arm could pick a full grown man up and toss him around like a rag doll. The most noticeable feature was their smell. Their breath made rotted eggs, rancid meat, and moldy bread sound appetizing. It looked like they were constantly sweating, and that never seemed to help their not-as-good-as-a-sewer-like smell.

The man thought that the stone would surely melt from the smell alone. He wasn't entirely sure it was possible, but he didn't think that moblins actually existed, either. Since his stomach had been emptied three times already—something he had also thought impossible—he came to the conclusion that it wasn't up to him to decide what was possible and what wasn't.

Massively throwing up three times in the last hour had drained all his energy, and all this thinking wasn't helping his headache. The moblins had been anything but gentle with him; thus, his entire body was in pain, and his legs were useless. He was covered in cuts and bruises, while their rotten skin was covered in scars and very thin hair.

It had been a long time since he'd given up resisting them, so his head was hanging, and he wasn't paying much attention. Still, he knew where he was. It wasn't very hard to figure out. They were in a long hallway in a complex that was underground and lined on one side of the left wall were large steel doors. Near the top of each door was a square hole blocked by metal bars. Why mere moblins would want to capture and hold anybody was beyond him. What was in it for them? They were just stupid ogres with no sense but survival.

After what seemed like a half an hour of his being dragged, the brutes finally stopped in front of a door. One of them opened it, while the other grabbed fistfulls of the remains of his shirt and threw him in. He made a pathetic attempt to stand up, but only made it to his knees and tried to crawl toward the door.

_It can't end this way._

The moblin that threw him in gave him a rough kick that sent him reeling to the middle of the cell. Most of the light disappeared as the huge steel door slammed shut. All that was left to illuminate the chamber was the small lamp in a lonely ceiling corner, and a little lamp light that made it past the bars on the door.

His chest hurt badly, to the point where he couldn't take a deep breath without being brought down by stabbing pains. There was a good possibility that he had at least one broken rib. The room, like the hallway, was damp and made of nothing but stones. The lamp in the cell was caged in bars. It looked like a regular oil-lamp, but it didn't seem like it was using any oil.

After a few minutes of relaxing, he managed to crawl over to one of the side walls and slowly place his back against it. He let his head fall back slowly and rest on the wall.

_I'm starting to miss the cells at Hyrule Castle. At least they had mats you could sleep on, and the guards took showers._ He fought off a yawn. _ I didn't even do anything this time…_

A rustling sound in one of the back corners startled him and made him flinch, sending pain through him. Looking to the corner, he noticed that he was not alone in his prison. There was a girl sitting with her knees to her chest. Her clothes were in a condition even worse than his. If they could be called clothes: they looked more like used rags that a homeless person would have thrown away because they were so dirty. She was staring at him with scared eyes. It appeared as though she, too, had been roughed up by the merciless brutes.

Even though it seemed useless at this point, he made an attempt to summon up his charm and asked, "And who might you be?"

The girl made the slightest twitch at the sound of his voice. She fumbled through emotions for a few seconds, but remained silent.

"Yeah," he said quietly, giving up on his charm, "I'm starting to forget, too." He looked around his cell, seeing if there was anything of interest to note. It looked like a normal cell, except something wasn't quite right about it. There was a strange presence of some sort. What it was, he had no clue. Something did strike him as odd, though: the walls and ceiling were perfect. No cracks of any kind, and nothing appeared to be coming loose. For a place full of moblins, that didn't seem right. As crude as those beings were, this place resembled perfection.

After somberly soaking in his surroundings, he put his focus back on the quiet girl. Her arms were folded by her stomach, and she was looking down at her legs.

"Do you have a name?" he asked.

She glanced up at him. After a few seconds, she looked back down and said, "Yes."

He tried to make his voice sound gentle, "What is it?"

"Nessla," she answered.

"Hello, Nessla. You can call me Jack." He smiled out of reflex, but realized that it would have no effect. At one point, his smile and been alluring and attractive. Now he had nothing to use for attracting anything: anything except for more beatings. The girl had placed her head onto her arms, so Jack assumed that she didn't have any desire to continue their conversation.

Exhaustion was eating at his consciousness, and he was barely able to keep his eyes open anymore. He laid his head back against the wall again and closed his eyes. _Could be worse_, he thought. _I could be sleeping next to one of those ogres right now. At least this place smells as good as a sewer._

The last thing he remembered before falling asleep was the sound of quiet sobs coming from the corner.


End file.
